Housing

You are here

Fact: “It costs substantially less money to house someone in stable, supportive housing than it does to keep that person homeless and stuck in the "revolving door of high-cost crisis care and emergency housing."

The Problem: Housing

Currently in our community there are few affordable housing options available for those who are ready to move on and away from a life of homelessness. The lack of affordable housing is not a problem that is unique to Fairfield County, but one that is amplified by the county's disproportionately higher housing costs.

Further, even where housing options exist, for many struggling with challenges like addiction or mental illness, successful transitions into permanent housing arrangements are impossible without access to reliable support services.

The Solution: Housing

It has been demonstrated through extensive research that providing homeless individuals with affordable permanent homes – with some residents linked with supportive services - costs no more (and most frequently as much as 50% less) than the emergency shelter-based model of care that exists today - while steadily reducing the total number of homeless individuals!

Based on this understanding Pacific House has advanced its vision from being a provider of emergency shelter services to being an active community leader in the development of affordable supported housing.

Making it Happen:

We have been leading the way in creating desperately needed affordable housing — forging partnerships among community organizations: community housing developers (Mutual Housing Association), social service providers (Inspirica, Laurel House), treatment providers (Optimus Healthcare, F.S. Dubois Mental Health Center) and government agencies (Stamford Community Development, CT Dept. of Mental Health and Addiction Services) to leverage the housing market in Fairfield County and identify depressed but affordable properties that can be converted into housing for the homeless.

Ending homelessness one house at a time...

Open and operating today:

1997: The Patricia C. Phillips House (pictured above right) houses 10 formerly homeless people. This house first opened its doors in 1997.

2007: Beacon I was founded in 2005 and is home to 7 people.

2014: Beacon II* has been converted into three apartments, one with wheelchair access, and accommodates 7 individuals.

2014: Parkview South in Norwalk has undergone renovations for single room occupancy and houses 24 formerly homeless individuals.

2016: Gateway House was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony in 2016 and is home to 16 residents in units that range from one-bedroom to three-bedroom / wheelchair accessible units to four-bedroom townhouse style apartments.

Gateway before (inset) and rendering of after

Planned for end of 2018:

Richmond House will be home to nine residents when renovations are completed.

Planned for end of 2019:

Janie Wilson House will house 8 formerly homeless individuals.

Parkview North in Norwalk will house 11 formerly homeless residents.

The coming fiscal year will find Pacific House providing homes for 81 formerly homeless individuals; saving Fairfield County almost $6MM by doing so, all without creating any additional ongoing cost to the agency.

Housing is not just a compassionate endeavor; financially it makes the most sense for the community to provide homes for those in need.

*Beacon II was made possible by our partners to whom we are grateful for their assistance: City of Stamford, Mayor David MartinCity of Stamford Office of Community DevelopmentConnecticut Housing Finance AuthorityU.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban DevelopmentState of Connecticut Department of HousingState of CT Dept. of Economic and Community DevelopmentFederal Home Loan BankFirst County BankCorporation for Supportive HousingNortheast Utilities, Inc.First Presbyterian Church of GreenwichHistoric Neighborhood Preservation (Renee Kahn)Pro-Bono PartnershipBingham McCutchen LLP

Our sincere thanks to these housing development partners who help make these projects a reality:U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) through the City of Stamford Office of Community Development including the HOME Investment Partnerships Program and the Neighborhood Stabilization Program III.

I gave these folks lots of reasons to give up on me, but they kept saying ‘you’re too good for that, we’re not gonna let you do that to yourself.’ One day I finally went into the recovery program. I remember I got on my knees and prayed for the strength to do it. I got three grandkids ya’know. I wanted to know’em. That was five years ago and I ain’t had a drink since.